The Highland Mint

The Highland Mint is a Florida-based private minting company that’s famous throughout the world for its silver bullion and sports-themed coins, cards, medallions, and memorabilia. While this American mint is relatively small, its importance should not be underestimated.

Highland Mint is a full-service refinery and minting firm based in Melbourne, Florida. This precious metal specialist firm oversees all aspects of the production process, from design and layout to sculpting and die making, then casting, and finally, quality control, packaging, and distribution in its 40,000-square-foot headquarters.

Caesar Rufo, one of the best medallic sculptors in the United States, heads up the Highland Mint art department. Rufo is a well-respected figure in the artistic community, whose work has been displayed at the Metropolitan Opera House Archives, the Smithsonian Institute, The Cathedral of Washington D.C, the Franklin Institute, and more than 500 colleges and universities across America. His superior expertise has helped Highland Mint cement its reputation for excellence.

The History of Highland Mint

Highland Mint was established in Melbourne, Florida, in the early 1980s. During this time, the United States government began to sell its silver stocks in the form of silver bullion coins. This era was a time of great economic uncertainty, and the federal government was concerned that silver was no longer a viable metal.

However, the influx of silver bullion in the marketplace prompted renewed interest in the rounds which had fallen out of favor. There had not been such interest in bullion for a century. Highland Mint was well-placed to take advantage of the public’s new interest in bullion and the ready availability of silver during the early part of the eighties.

Highland Mint helped carve out a unique identity by striking its rounds several times, rather than just once as most refineries of the time did. This gave them a crisp, clear finish which resembled highly sought after double-struck proof coins. Highland Mint continues to use multiple strikings in its sports medallions and silver bullion rounds today.

While Highland Mint doesn’t have the rich heritage of many of the world’s refineries, it’s achieved a significant amount in its years of operation and gained an enviable reputation over the last few decades.

Highland Mint’s Metals and Bullion

Highland Mint happily creates products from any precious and non-precious metals, although its silver, gold, and bronze products are its most popular. All of Highland’s silver bullion is made from silver with a superior purity rating of .999+.

Highland Mint’s Walking Liberty, Morgan, and Horse silver bars and rounds are among its most popular bullion products. The Walking Liberty bars and rounds feature the American eagle used on U.S. coins. The Morgan bars and rounds mimic the Morgan silver dollar coin minted in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Horse silver bars and rounds are limited edition products featuring a galloping equine design to commemorate 2014, the Chinese Lunar Year of the Horse.

The Morgan and Horse rounds are available in just one size, one troy ounce. The Walking Liberty rounds are available in a range of sizes, including 1/10 ounce, 1/4 ounce, and 1/2 ounce. Highland Mint’s Horse bars weigh 10 ounces.

Highland Mint’s Other Services

Highland Mint’s most popular products are athlete and sport team cards, trophies, pendants, medallions, and coins made from bronze, silver, and gold. The refinery’s official licenses with Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the Kentucky Derby, the National Basketball Association, and other major sporting bodies allow it to create official sports collectibles and memorabilia.

Highland Mint also manufactures the coins used in the annual Super Bowl coin tosses. Commemorative replicas of these coins, which are on display at the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, are available to the public in limited numbers.

Highland Mint also accepts commissions for custom silver, gold, and other metal products. The refinery’s presses range from 350 tons psi to 1600 tons psi, so it can create a diverse range of custom goods for its clients.

Highland Mint’s Security Measures

Highland Mint rounds can be distinguished from counterfeit versions of the Morgan and Walking Liberty coins as they contain thin borders. These borders are the only perceivable difference between the Highland Mint rounds and the original historic coins they pay tribute to.

Every Highland Mint product is also sold with a Certificate of Authenticity to verify its credentials.

Highland Mint Packaging

All Highland Mint products pass through a continuity program to ensure they are sterilized, packaged correctly, and verified as authentic. Highland Mint protects its bullion in plastic cases, which are then sold in durable plastic bags to resist damage during shipping.

Highland Mint’s Reputation

Highland Mint has an excellent reputation, especially considering its relatively short time in the business. This refinery is a QAS International ISO 9001 registered firm, which means that its quality management system meets international standards. This helps give collectors and investors peace of mind that when they buy bullion from Highland Mint, they’re buying quality products.

The company’s reputation for quality is attractive to a range of bullion buyers, whether they’re hoping to make a long-term investment or buy for quick resale.

Pricing and Availability

Highland Mint products are popular, especially with American collectors and investors, as their unique designs often pay tribute to historical coins of the United States. The Highland Mint rounds are much more affordable than the historic coins they resemble.

Highland Mint only creates limited edition products, so the availability of each one varies. The limited edition status of their sports products makes them highly collectible, especially when sold in their original packaging. Highland Mint silver bars and rounds also have limited availability, but some online traders have extensive collections for investors and collectors to choose from.

Highland Mint’s full-service approach helps it minimize its costs. These savings are then passed on to consumers. However, as products become more rare their value increases. The value of Highland Mint’s sports memorabilia is also influenced by the performance of the team or athlete featured in the year of its manufacture.